Catch Up Quick: Let’s be clear- I am not responsible for this amazing idea. I first learned about take-home notebooks from Stacey Shubitz on an episode of the Two Writing Teachers Podcast. Since then, I’ve made the practice my own and have used a class notebook for the past three school years. Because I get questions about how to make it work each year, I thought it was time to put all my tips in one place. I hope this inspires you to give it a try and make it your own!
Mr… what!? Mr. Nut is the name of a notebook. (His predecessors were named Bob and Mrs. Llama). Each evening, Mr. Nut travels home in one student’s backpack. That night, the writer can write anything inside- a narrative retelling of the evening, a letter to a teacher or classmate, a made-up story, or even a list of knock-knock jokes. The next morning, that writer returns to school with Mr. Nut and reads their writing to the class, offering us a peek inside their after-hours mind. Then, a new student gets to take Mr. Nut home the following night. The notebook quickly becomes a valued member of our classroom community.
Who gets a turn? There’s a checklist of student names on the back cover to help me keep track of who’s had a turn. While most students get up to five turns in a school year, it’s always optional.
What happens if a student forgets to write in Mr. Nut? I offer students a second night if they forget to write in Mr. Nut overnight, but if they forget a third time, they’ll have to wait their turn again. The take-home notebook encourages responsibility. Surprisingly, we’ve never lost a class notebook, though Mrs. Llama once went missing for a week. I had to call the parent to help find her!
How to Implement:
- Find a notebook: A composition notebook is recommended since this item will travel in students’ backpacks each day. You need something durable! Sealing the cover in contact paper helps, too. When I moved from second grade to Kindergarten, I opted for a notebook with primary handwriting lines.
- Find a time: Allot two minutes each day for notebook sharing. I prefer to share during morning meeting. (Once you implement a take-home notebook, you won’t have to worry about remembering this routine. The kids will remind you!)
- Introduce him or her to students: Slap a funny face on the cover and let students vote on a name.
- Craft a letter to caregivers: I taped this letter to Mr. Nut’s inside cover. Feel free to copy and make it your own!
What I’ve Refined Over the Years:
- As the teacher, I started taking the notebook home, too. After all, I’m a member of our writing community!
- Educating parents/guardians on the importance of invented spelling. In my Kindergarten class, the parents initially spelled every word for their students. Now, they encourage students to use their phonics and phonemic awareness skills to spell!
- An editing checklist on each page so students could check their work before returning it to school (Instead of taping a checklist to every page, I made a custom stamp using an online company).
- After the school year ends, I keep the notebooks displayed in my classroom. Current students love to read old notebooks, and former students love to see that “Bob” is still around!
Why We Love Mr. Nut:
- Builds confidence in speaking and listening skills
- Fosters class community because we learn more about students’ lives. You’ll notice in the example below that students often glue trading cards or photos into the book pages.
- Creates authentic opportunities to write for an audience and share writing aloud
- Bolsters writing identity because students can write about any topic and in any genre
- Gives students agency over what they write, how they write it, and what they choose to share
- Provides families something to read together
- Involves caregivers in their student’s writing
- Offers a snapshot of how writers grow throughout the year
Take a peek of some Kindergarten and second-grade writing in our class notebooks from the past three years:
The take-home notebook is a small time investment with a big payout. Students get to share a little piece of their lives, learn more about their classmates, and see that their writing is worth reading and celebrating. If you try a take-home notebook in your classroom, I hope you make it your own, give yourself permission to refine it along the way, and come back to tell me how it goes!
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